Monorailroad system.



T. 0. SPELLING.

MONORAILROAD SYSTEM.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 14, 1912.

1,058,48 1. Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

rnonn's cA'Rr. srnnmne, or new roan, n. Y.

' mononarnnonnsrsrnm.

ins am I {Specification of Letters Patent.

I Application filed November 14;1912; Seria1No.'731, 303 Q it all eokontit may concern:

Be it into n that I, THOMAS CARL SPELL- ING; citizen oft-the United States, and 'resi-' dent of New York city, in the county New York andState of New York, have in-.=

Vented certain new. and useful Improvements 'i'nYMoirorailroad Systems, of which thelfoilowingis a specification.

Tithe, -ireser'lt' invention relates to mono'- raiiroa. systems and has for its object the prcvisionof a durable, practical and cheap construction, ifl 'eadily- 'assembled wherever desired; and comprises generally speaking, a frame-workof strong rigid. character consisting of a plurality of open trame membersassociated constitute a way therei ith'in, in combination with a car adapted Q3 travel within the said way,- and simple and efiicient instrumentalities-for mounting and securing the frame and associated track members, etc, to the ground or other sur-' face over which the. system is to be laid.

to provide a mono-railroad system wherein the trackage' construction will comprise but few "parts, to the end of utilizing theenormous energy which is now wasted vin the existing systems of railroad construction;

one which will effectively guard against all liability of derailment of the cars; and which may be supported by suspending ,cables for crossing rivers orsravines. And it is further proposed that the design of structure will be such as topermit of the same being erected with despatch, and

wherein the cost-of manufacture will be.

comparatively small.

The invention has for its further purpose to provigle a type of car especially adapted to this ystem wherein the supporting or carrying wheels thereof are provided with means for preventing possible derailment; and which is provided with means to steady 'the'car in the event of the same'losing its equilibrium while in motion; to minimize oscillation and to. support the car in erect position while the same is stationary.

Y Summarily stated, the invention proposes asystem of railroad which will by its sim-v ,plicity of construction and rinciple of operation readily suggest itse f fas the most practical type -of conveyance where speed and safety of movement are aramount; and for installation in countries hich are not by their natural characteristics suited to or dinary railroad construction sudh ;for instance as mountainous countries and countries which would otherwise require considerable bridge erection to introduce the present method of railroad building.

The invention may also be usedvin subways in large cities or may be constructed in various other-ways to suit traffic org'eo-. graphical conditions;

To these ends the invention consists in the novel details of construction and com-' Patented Apr.'s ,"191e.

bination of parts more fully hereinafter dep scribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings; forming a part of this specificatio'nin which like numerals de'signate'like parts in all the views :-Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of; the trackage constructi on, and

showing a type of car employed and Fig. 2 is a side elevat-ional view of the same.

-Referringto the construction in detail p the railroad construction consists of a. suit- -ihe invention also has for IDSIPIII'POSQ able bed comprising masonry or other suit- .1

able bases 1 and 2 disposed 1n parallel relation, and an intermediate masonry or other suitable bed 3which' is countersunkto receive a continuous sill 4: of wood or other suitable material for the continuous track 5 which is secured thereto in ,any proper manner. I

The frame-work of triangular design in cross section is constructed torinclosel the mono-rail and provides in ettect a conduitfor the'cars. The framework consists of angularly disposed beams ,6 and 7 connected at their lower ends by the reinforcing plates 9 to the bottom cross bars 8 which bars form the base of the triangle and" arealso securely held embedded within the cross ties 8 and adapted to underlie the track 5.,

At their respective upper ends the beams 6 and 7 are connected and reinforced A pair ofhorizontal grooved rails or 10 5 tracks 13coi1nect the several beams ofthe respective sides ofv the structural framework and have for'th'eir purpose to cooperate with vmeans carried by'thegoar to hold the same erect while the .carQis stationary and to minimize oscillation ininovement as w ll be ndem wd- The support-ing wheels 15 are each mounted in a pairof journal boxes 16' secured to the underside of t-he'c'ar floor 17 on a relatively short axle 18, and the journal boxes of each of the axle bearings are readily accessible at all times through the medium of suitable openings which are, under normal,

conditions, closed by the hinged plates 19. The wheel is of the double flange type to the end that the same will readily hold to the track under all conditions of travel of thecar.

A pair of rollers 20 carried by the car are adapted to engage with the side grooved rails 13 for the purposes above mentioned, and each of said rollers 20 is journaled in a bifurcated arm 21 which is in turn mounted to have movement on the side of the car, and a spring 22 which is mounted on the arm normally tends to hold the roller in engagement with the track 13 with the required friction. JJrom,the foregoing description it will be apparentthat applicant has provided a constructionwherein the strong, rigid characteristics of the triangle are obtained, such triangle including a has barsecured to the foundation or bed or cross ties, as the case may be, and the converging side members being directly connected together at their upper ends, furnishing a device complete in itself and independently. of the bed or foundation on which the triangle is fastened. Through the medium of the cross bars 11 and the lower corners braces 9, the middle portions of the side bars of the triangle are greatly strengthened to resist the outward pressures or strains incident to the lateral bearings "carried by the car contacting with the rails13; also that the manner of seating the base bar of the triangle in the wooden cross tie with the latter in turn seated in a the longitudinal wooden sill upon which the rail 5 is supported, constitutes an eflicient and highly practical manner of securing the triangular frames to the base or foundation, it being understood that the longitudinal sill and cross ties may be placed as desired in keeping with theconditions surrounding the particular service at hand and the nature of the surface over which the system is built.

Many changes of construction and arrslingement may be made in the device'as above explained without departing from my present invention, and I do not limit myself to the details and modifications herein shown and described.

' What I claim is p v 1. In a mono-railroadconstruction, a triangular frame, a supporting bed therefor,

the said frame including horizontally-disposed bottom cross-bars secured to the bed, a continuous sill forming a part of said bed and provided with a fixed rail, a triangular car located within saidframe and having straight walls spaced equi-distally from adjacent portions of the frame and provided with alined supporting wheels mounted to travel on said rail, and means on the car for traveling engagement with the sides of the frame and operable to maintain said car in equilibrium.

2. In a monorailroad construction, the combination of a suitable bed supporting cross ties, a traveling car, outwardly thrust bearings at the sides of said car, a continuous sill on said bed associated with said cross tics, a track mounted on said sill, and a framework comprising connected bottom and side bars also mounted on said cross tics and providing a substantially inclosed passageway, and rails mounted respectively on said side bars adapted to engage wit-h the outwardly thrust bearings carried by the car, substantially as described.

. 3. In a monorailroad COl1St1l1CtlO11, t frame comprising. a series of approximately triangular members so related as to form a way therethrough, each triangular member. comprising a bottom cross bar and converging side bars, a rail supported upon the cross bars centrally thereof, a car adapted to traverse said rail through said way, rails oppo-.

site the sides of the car connecting the converging side members of the triangular frames together, means at the sides of the car engaging said rails to assist in maintaining the car in equilibrium, and cross braces for the triangular frames connecting the converging side members at a point adjacent to the car and above the rails at the sides of the car.

4. In a monorailroad construction, a

frame comprising a series of approxin'iatcly ing side bars, a rail supported upon the crossbars centrally thereof, a car adapted to traverse said rail through said way, rails opposite the sides of the car connecting the converging side members of the triangular frames together, means at the sides of the car engaging said rails to assist in maintaining the car in equilibrium, and braces extending across the corners of the triangular frames to maintain the side members of the frame in position.

5. In a .monorailroad construction, a frame comprising a series of approximately triangular members so related as to form a way therethrough, each triangular member comprising a bottom cross bar and convergin'g side bars, a rail supported upon the cross bars centrally thereof, a car adapted to traverse said rail throughsaiduvay, rails opposite the sides of the car connecting the converging side members of the riangular frames together, means-at the sides'of thecar engaging'said rails to assist in maintainmg the car in equilibrium, cross braces for thetriangular frames connecting the converging side members at a point adjacent to the car and above the rails at the sides of bars-forming anunobstructed' space there'- within, a rail mounted uporif'the bottomcross bars centrally thereof, a ear adapted 'to traverse; said rail through? said way, yield- I able abutments' at; the op osite 'sides of the within, a rail mounted upon the bottom cross car, and rails'connecting t e' converging side:

members of the triangular frames-together 7. In a monorailroad construction, aframe comprising a plurality of triangular members'so. related as toijorm a waytherethrough, each triangular member compris ing a-bottom cross bar .a'nd converging side bars forming an unobstructed space'therebars centrally thereof, .a car adapted to traverse said rail through said way,land bars connecting the converging side members of the triangular. frames together 'at points intermediate threads of the same.

'8. In a monorailroad construction, a frame comprising a series of triangular members so related as to form a way there through, each triangular member comprising a bottom bar andconverging side bars; av tie in which the bottom bar is seated, a longitudinal sill in which the tie is seated, and a rail mounted on said sill over said tie and bottom bar.

9. In a monorailroad construction, a

lframecomprising a series of open members connected together at their sldes and so related as to form a way therethrough, each open member comprising a bottom bar and side bars, a tie in which the bottom bar is seated, a longitudinal sill in'which the tie is seated, and a rail mounted on said sill over said tie and bottom bar.

10. In a monorailroad construction a framecomprising a series of open members so related as to form a way therethrough, each open member comprising a bottom bar and side bars, a tie in which the bottom. bar isseated, a longitudinal sill, and a rail mounted on said sill over said tie and bottom bar.

11. In a monorailr0ad construction, a frame comprising a series of open members sorelated as to form a way therethrough,

' each open. member I comprising a bottom bar and side bars, a tie to which the bottom bar is secured, a longitudinal sill in which the tie is seated, and a rail mounted on said Slll over said tie and bottom bar. at points intermediate-the ends of the same.

12." In a monorailroad construction, a frame comprising a plurality of open members so related as to form a way theret-hrough, each member comprising a horizont'al bottom bar and side bars connected together forming an unobstructed space therewithin, a base construction including cross ties to which the bottom cross bars are secured, a rail mounted u on the bottom" THOMAS CARL SPELLING.

lVitnesses: v

Jos. G. ABRA soN, KATHARINE C. MEAD. 

